


Perhaps A Cat Is(n't) Enough

by Uselesskey (KawaiiCookie24)



Category: No Fandom
Genre: But it's basically the problem's source, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, It's not violent or extremely harsh, M/M, Married Couple, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Original Character(s), Period-Typical Homophobia, Romance, parenting, they're in love ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-20 19:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17628356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiiCookie24/pseuds/Uselesskey
Summary: There are certain things every married couple talks about.





	Perhaps A Cat Is(n't) Enough

**Author's Note:**

  * For [This Motherfucker Does Not Have An Account](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=This+Motherfucker+Does+Not+Have+An+Account).



> Some small thingies:
> 
> Expect all of the characters to be speaking mandarin unless established otherwise, it's just written in English for our convenience.
> 
> *Da baba means "Big Daddy" (i swear it's nothing lewd...)  
> *BaoBao, besides being Bohai's cat's name, literally means "Baby"

A delicious smell permeated the house, unquestionably coming from the kitchen. It filtered to the property's modest garden through an opened door, catching the attention of the man gently planting a flower.

Honghui turned his head towards the source of the smell, his smile growing. The door to the garden was right on a corner of the kitchen, and through the window, he'd seen his husband cooking every time he briefly stopped gardening for a glance. He was sure- both by the time that had passed and the trail of goodness that called him into the kitchen,- that lunch was ready. He gathered his things and stood up, taking off his rice hat. Bohai teased him every time he wore it, but it didn't matter to him. He wasn't going to do the gardening with the sun burning his scalp. 

Though... the sun was pretty mild right now, he thought while looking up.

The countryman left his sandals outside the door before closing it, taking a deep breath and sighing contently. He put his gardening tools away and washed his hands on the sink, turning his attention to the stove. He moved the lid of a bamboo steamer, vapor and heat rising. He felt hungrier just by looking at the perfect shumai.

Bohai approached silently, wrapping an arm around Honghui's waist. "You're not supposed to touch all that, you'll get burnt again," he mumbled. 

"If I really was that clumsy, I couldn't even serve us tea." he chuckled and pulled away to grab the teapot and start getting the tea ready.

Humming with amusement, the Shanghainese turned the gas off and put his mitts on to move the steamers off the pot. They were six, three on each bowl. 

"You know, your mom is a saint. I'm so glad she taught me how to use these right. I think I'm going to hate it next time I have to fry or roast any meal." He poked a dumpling to check it hadn't miraculously stuck to the baking paper. 

"Yeah, now you know how I haven't starved all these years," replied Honghui with a chuckle, placing the teapot full of water on the stove. 

"It's easy, and I can make a looooot of food for us two." he snickered as he dismantled the pillar of steamers.

"And BaoBao."

"Yeah, and BaoBao."

With this last bit of conversation, the countryman had something pop up at the back of his head as he observed his husband fill two bowls with rice. 

"With these steamers, you make so much food we could have kids and keep them really happy." He said with a soft smile.

"Our kids would probably have chub," Bohai said with a big smile. "They'd be like their Da baba, and just as I do with you, I'd spoil them rotten."

"You'd be a great dad," said Honghui softly.

The Shanghainese turned to look at him, looking a bit surprised by that statement and the emotion behind his words. His grin turned into a small, flustered smile. "Not as great as you. You practically have the word "baba" written across your forehead."

Honghui laughed and took the teapot with a rag on the handle. "I'll start placing the tea and cups, mama." he teased.

"Old man!" he exclaimed, frowning and stomping his foot. Though his smile was still there.

Pondering about it, Bohai thought that the teasing nickname was not so far from reality. Looking down at himself, he was wearing an apron, ready to serve lunch. They were married, had a house and enough money for the rest of their lives. The only thing left was to have babies. It was almost natural, the following chapter in their lives. But that was in an ideal world. He chewed on the inside of his cheek while taking the steamers and the bowls of rice to the table. Had things been better, would they have little, actual baobaos crawling around their living room? 

The couple sat down, and both sighed deeply at the awaited meal, BaoBao coming to the table. The cat meowed and tried to get their attention, making the shorter of the pair reach down to scratch her behind the ear offhandedly.

"You really outdid yourself with this, darling." Commented Honghui happily, taking some cheungfan onto his plate, along with rice. This was definitely the kind of thing that could leave him content and happy for the rest of the day. 

"Hope so, because I'm really fucking hungry too," the other replied, taking some dumplings. 

The taller of the two served the tea with an amused hum, looking to continue the small, compelling chat they had started about parenting.

"If I were to be Da baba and you mama-"

"I can be fucking baba too!" He exclaimed with a faked offense.

"Well, how about da baba and baba?" Proposed Honghui, laughing.

"That's better," the city man said with a mouthful of rice and a firm nod.

"I was saying that, if I were to be Da baba and you to be baba, you'd have to stop randomly swearing like that," He said, pouring some soy sauce onto his cheungfan.

"I'd just swear in English, then."

"Kids repeat everything they see and hear, I wouldn't want mine to go around saying "Fuck"..." He said, sounding almost concerned, chewing on a piece of cha siu bao. "And you know they'd find out what it means quickly."

"Well okay, if it were our babies I probably would stop swearing." He said with a huff. 

"Our babies..." 

Silence fell upon them.

Both of them knew it was impossible for them to make their family bigger. But neither wanted to say it. It really was a terrible notion, wasn't it?

"I've actually... always wanted to get married and have kids," Mumbled Honghui. He knew he was leading into a dangerous topic, but he was talking with his husband, and this was the type of thing that was good to learn each other's opinions and feelings on. "You can say I got half of it checked," he said with a chuckle to light the conversation up.

"Well, I mean... when I met you I thought you probably already had a wife and kids," he admitted. "You look like a family man."

"Ah, I... I guess that's true, but appearances don't always match up perfectly," He said, taking a sip of tea. "You know how terrified I was of asking any lady out,"

He paused for a second before continuing.

"I guess it was just a fixation, and then became serious. In the beginning, I suppose I just wanted to be like my father but without...without..."

Bohai gave him a concerned look. His husband did not need to force himself to think about that. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you know what I mean," he said, trying to stick out of it. He truly didn't want this to get gloomier. "In the beginning, it was just that. But as I got older, met more people and my cousins had kids... I just... fantasized about it,"

"I would just lay down and think... what would my life be if I had a partner," he was careful not to use the word wife, it felt wrong to do so. "And a baby, our baby. A little thing who I would love, protect, and maybe teach the few things I do right," 

There was a fond look in his eyes until he realized how quiet Bohai had gone.

"But, I'm sorry, I'm being selfish and just spilling all of this out," he quickly apologized with a chuckle. "You're right when you call me a sappy old man."

The city man had been listening intently and felt something ache in his chest as he ate a dumpling. "No no, there's...It's okay,"

"I can understand what you're saying," said Bohai, quietly, not really looking at him. "You just wanted to give your baby the life you know a baby deserves. I get that, I've- I've _felt_ that," 

He stayed silent, seeming to think, and Honghui started to believe the conversation was over. Until the Shanghainese opened his mouth a bit, looking for the words to speak. He looked small, his freckled face turned in a grimace of uncertainty. Honghui had seen him like this before, and he knew it meant he was going to speak with sincerity and intimacy. Or maybe back up and leave. Both had happened before, and he hoped it was the first one.

"I just. My parents must have had their reasons to give me up but-but I guess- I guess I just,"

"Darling we do not have to talk about this if it's-" 

"No, I want to talk about this," He assured. "I suppose I didn't want another kid to come alone into this world,"

"I thought a lot about adopting, you know?" continued Bohai. "It's selfish for me to say this, but I thought that maybe it would bring some joy into my life. But I would have probably fucked it up as a single father, and I was not going to make some poor girl sink with me just to have a baby,"

Honghui smiled with empathy, reaching to hold his hand. "You've always been so full of love," He said.

Bohai rubbed his eyes with his free hand, trying to push away the sudden sadness creeping into him. "No, you've just made me emotional," he teased with a small smile. 

"And then I found out I didn't have to make anyone pregnant to love, so I got BaoBao," He finished with a slight chuckle, feeding the cat a dumpling.

Honghui laughed. "Yeah, I guess BaoBao will do."

There was a faint melancholy to the way he spoke, and it started to burn on Bohai. He definitely didn't want to think of it, but there was something injurious growing in his heart. His mind went back and forth on what Honghui had said.

He sounded so enamored by the idea of a baby, so much it was a life dream. And yet, he'd pushed it away when he started dating him. Something so significant for him, something he could actually achieve...

His right hand clenched the chopsticks, grimacing as he looked down at his plate. 

This drew Honghui's attention onto him, his relaxed expression shifting into a concerned one. "Honey? Are you okay?"

Bohai quickly recomposed his appearance, nodding. "Oh, yes, I'm okay." He felt guilty for even doubting his husband's love, which was nothing but pure and committed.

He was going to leave it there but seeing the compassionate and disbelieving look of his partner, he sighed. There was no point in pretending.

"I guess this whole baby talk has gotten me a bit melancholic, that's all." It was a half-truth. Enough, he deemed.

"Mm, that's my fault for making us talk about it, I'm sorry Bohai," Apologized the countryman. "I know I probably also made it sound like I don't have enough. I have enough. You are more than enough. With you, I don't need anything else."

"You're a big liar, and now you're saying sweet nothings..." he mumbled with a flustered smile frowning a bit. It felt nice to be reassured about certain things. Even if he didn't fully believe what he said, he'd pretend and be okay for now.

"I'm not telling lies, but you definitely compel me to say sweet things," he said with loving eyes.

"God I can't believe we got fucking married," he mumbled, a slight blush beginning to drown his freckles. 

"Oh, me neither! You're like an angel, and you're so..." Honghui licked his lips and suddenly lost his cool, his face getting red just by complimenting his husband. He didn't run out of things to say, just didn't dare to say them. "Ehh... Vous êtes séduisant, exquis, un vrai rêve éveillé,"

"Hey, that's cheating! You know I can't understand French!" Exclaimed the shorter one. 

"I apologize, dear, but I can't say these things if you understand it," he chuckled sheepishly.

"Ah, what's the point then!" he said, crossing his arms after finishing his plate.

"You'll have to wait until I write another poem," 

"Oh Honghui Bai, you are such a charming romantic," he said with both a deadpan voice and face. 

The countryman giggled, taking the empty plates, steamers, and bowls. "I'll do the dishes and pick all the other things up, you go rest or something," he felt guilty for making his partner in any way distressed. And besides, doing the dishes just was his responsibility.

"Okay, thanks," He mumbled with a smile. Honghui always knew what to say to calm him down and soothe his worries. It was wondrous, and at least for now, his mind was taken away from the cloud of negativity from before.

At least for now.


End file.
